The Lakers made a good trade! Last week, the Lakers completed a trade with the Nets, trading Russell, Lewis, and three second-round picks to the Nets in exchange for Finney-Smith and Milton.
The Lakers' goal is clear; they aim to enhance their wing height, defensive intensity, and shooting accuracy. With all three aspects in place, the Lakers can achieve a significant upgrade.
Russell is indeed a decent ball-handler who can provide some playmaking ability. However, playing alongside James, being able to shoot and defend is crucial. The "one-star four-shooters" system has been practiced for years for a reason. Forcing Russell to stay would not benefit his personal statistics or contract, nor would it help the Lakers much.
Indeed, after Finney-Smith and Milton joined the team, they quickly made an impact. Although their basic stats are not particularly impressive, their performances are genuinely commendable, with both defense and shooting capabilities fully present.
Including today's close loss of 115 to 119, the Lakers have lost to the Cavaliers and Rockets - it's not shameful to lose to the league-leading Cavaliers, and the same goes for narrowly losing to the second-ranked Rockets in the West - but they have easily defeated the Trail Blazers and Hawks in succession, completely dominating on the court and winning steadily through defense.
Reeves has become a solid ball-handler, while Christie and Knickert have become quality shooters.
However, if the Lakers want to take another step forward and become contenders for the Western Conference championship, they may need to continue to strengthen their frontcourt.
Davis alone is not enough, and simply providing him with a substitute like Hayes is insufficient.
With Wood and Vanderbilt unable to recover from injuries, the Lakers need to make their next move in terms of recruitment, and American media outlets have proposed a seemingly reasonable and well-founded trade plan.
Why not go after Kessler from the Jazz?
Kessler is good, and the Lakers wouldn't be getting him for free. Renowned journalist Eric Pincus from the American media outlet "Bleacher Report" has provided his arguments.
The Lakers currently have 15 players with guaranteed contracts, plus three two-way contracts, and their total player salary for this season has reached 185.4million.However,theydonotplantoexceedthesecondluxurytaxthresholdof188.9 million, so they need to clear some contracts in advance.
Vincent, Vanderbilt, and Hachimura are reasonable targets for the Lakers to clear, but neither of the first two has sufficient trade value, and they might not even be able to sell them by attaching second-round draft picks.
Therefore, the Lakers should offer a first-round pick, specifically their 2029 and 2031 first-round picks.
In Eric Pincus' proposal, the Lakers could send Wood, their 2029 first-round pick, and remove the top-four protection clause from their 2027 first-round pick to the Jazz in exchange for Kessler.
In previous trades involving Westbrook, the Lakers had already sent their 2027 first-round pick to the Jazz. Now, they only need to remove the top-four protection, meaning they would completely give it away, making it a 3-for-1 trade.
Kessler was born in 2001. This post-00s center has represented the U.S. men's basketball team at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup and is a genuine national-level player.
Although his mobility is somewhat slow, Kessler is an excellent shield in the paint, with a strong presence. He can serve as Davis' backup and also pair up with Davis to form a twin tower lineup. Moreover, his salary for next season is only $4.9 million, offering excellent cost-effectiveness.
The Jazz do not particularly favor Kessler - this big man reached the point of discussing an early contract extension this summer, but he does not align with the team's long-term goals for the next few years - or rather, they do not particularly favor any player within the team. Everyone can be put on the trading block in exchange for younger players or more draft picks.
For example, the Lakers' two first-round picks.
Of course, all of this is just Eric Pincus' idea, but it is the most reliable or realistic one among the many anticipated trades that the basketball community has seen.
In fact, the Lakers and the Jazz almost completed a trade for Kessler last summer, but the deal fell through due to the issue of the top-four protection for the 2027 first-round pick.
If the Lakers are willing to make this concession and truly go for a 3-for-1 trade, there is a high probability that the Jazz would be willing to let go of Kessler, who is unlikely to be re-signed at a high salary.
The Lakers' current roster is quite good, so why not give it one last shot and go all out?